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SUMMARY:

The Office of Global Educational Programs of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the Balkan Educational Partnerships Program. Public and private non-profit organizations and educational institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to cooperate with the Bureau in the administration of a three-year program to support the development of instruction in civic education, public administration, business administration, and the social, economic, and political sciences at eligible Balkan university faculties or departments and educational institutions. The means for achieving these objectives may include the exchange of teachers, administrators, and advanced students from the Balkan region with appropriate U.S. counterpart colleges and universities.

Program Information

Overview

The Balkan Educational Partnerships Program will fund three-year projects to permit U.S. institutions to work with counterpart university departments and educational institutions in Balkan countries and locations as specified in the RFGP. Applicants may either identify a U.S. college or university with which each Balkan educational partner would cooperate, or propose other models for exchange that will lead to the achievement of program objectives through increased cooperation by the Balkan partner institutions, their teachers and students with U.S. scholars, educators, and other professional experts. Pending availability of funds, approximately $2,010,000 is expected to be available in support of the Balkan Educational Partnerships Program in FY 2002.

Objectives

Program objectives are to assist participating Balkan institutions and individuals to: (1) Develop courses and curricula in eligible fields; (2) Improve teaching methods; (3) Develop educational materials which support new courses and curricula; (4) Train teachers or other practitioners in the effective use of these materials; and (5) Foster enduring relationships with U.S. academic institutions and educators. The program should equip participating Balkan institutions and educators to assist with the transitions to more market-oriented economies, to democratic political life, to strengthened civil societies, and to responsible administrative practices in the public sector. At the conclusion of the program, teachers at the participating Balkan institutions should be capable of teaching the newly introduced or revised courses and should be able to participate more fully in international dialogue with U.S. and other educators. Students graduating from the participating Balkan institutions should be better prepared to assume responsibilities in public service, education, and the private sector, and to exercise the duties of citizens in a democratic society.

Pending availability of funds, grants should begin on or about September 1, 2002.

Applicants should propose a plan that includes all of the projects listed below. If a specific partner is not identified, the applicant may identify any appropriate partner from the country or entity specified.

Albania: Political science at Tirana University. Funding for this project should not exceed $225,000.

Kosovo: Civic education. This project should be designed to support curriculum development at the primary or secondary level rather than at the university level and may include participants at the university level in Kosovo as well as the elementary and secondary levels. Educational administrators are also eligible to participate. Funding for this project should not exceed $185,000.

Kosovo: Law, education, or the social sciences. This project may include one or more faculties or departments of the University of Pristina. Funding for this project should not exceed $670,000.

Montenegro: Public administration and business administration. This project may include one or more faculties or departments. Funding for this project should not exceed $550,000.

Serbia (except Kosovo): Economics/business at the University of Novi Sad. Funding for this project should not exceed$180,000.

Serbia (except Kosovo): Law, business, public administration, journalism, education or the social sciences. This project may include one or more faculties or departments at one or more Serbian universities. Funding for this project(s) should not exceed $200,000.

The Bureau anticipates that funding may become available for additional sites in the future. Applicants are encouraged to contact the program office to discuss options and priorities for the various locations listed above.

Participant Eligibility

All participants traveling to the Balkans funded under the grant should represent U.S. educational institutions and must be U.S. citizens. Foreign participants must be both qualified to receive U.S. J-1 visas and willing to travel to the U.S. under the provisions of a J-1 visa during the exchange visits funded by this Program.

Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to Solicitation Package for further information.

Budget Guidelines

The Bureau anticipates awarding one grant not to exceed $2,010,000. Applicants may submit a budget not to exceed this amount. Organizations with less than four years experience in conducting international exchanges are limited to $60,000, and are not encouraged to apply. The Bureau encourages applicants to provide Start Printed Page 9346maximum levels of cost-sharing and funding from private sources in support of its programs.

Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants should provide separate sub-budgets for each sub-project with each foreign partner institution. Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget guidelines and formatting instructions.

Announcement Title and Number: All correspondence with the Bureau concerning this RFGP should reference the above title and number ECA/A/S/U-02-13.

Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFGP deadline has passed, Bureau staff may not discuss this competition with applicants until the proposal review process has been completed.

To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet

Deadline for Proposals

All proposal copies must be received at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, April 26, 2002. Faxed documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked the due date but received on a later date will not be accepted. Each applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the above deadline.

Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation Package. The original and ten copies of the application should be sent to: U.S. Department of State, SA-44, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Ref.: ECA/A/S/U-02-13, Program Management, ECA/EX/PM, Room 534, 301 4th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20547.

No later than one week after the competition deadline, applicants must also submit the Proposal Title Sheet, Executive Summary, and Proposal Narrative sections of the proposal as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word (preferred), WordPerfect, or as ASCII text files to the following e-mail address: partnerships@pd.state.gov. In the e-mail message subject line, include the following: ECA/A/S/U-02-13. To reduce the time needed to obtain advisory comments from the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies overseas, the Bureau will transmit these files electronically to these offices.

Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines

Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and representative of the diversity of American political, social, and cultural life. “Diversity” should be interpreted in the broadest sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle both in program administration and in program content. Please refer to the review criteria under the “Support for Diversity” section for specific suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total proposal. Public Law 104-319 provides that “in carrying out programs of educational and cultural exchange in countries whose people do not fully enjoy freedom and democracy,” the Bureau “shall take appropriate steps to provide opportunities for participation in such programs to human rights and democracy leaders of such countries.” Public Law 106—113 requires that the governments of the countries described above do not have inappropriate influence in the selection process. Proposals should reflect advancement of these goals in their program contents, to the full extent deemed feasible.

Review Process

The Bureau will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the Solicitation Package.All eligible proposals will be reviewed by the program office, as well as by the appropriate Public Diplomacy sections overseas. Eligible proposals will be subject to compliance with Federal and Bureau regulations and guidelines and forwarded to Bureau grant panels for advisory review. Proposals may also be reviewed by the Office of the Legal Adviser or by other Department elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of the Department of State's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Final technical authority for grants resides with the Bureau's Grants Officer.

Review Criteria

Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed according to the criteria stated below. These criteria are not rank ordered and all carry equal weight in the proposal evaluation:

(1) Broad and Enduring Significance of Institutional Objectives: Program objectives should have significant and ongoing results for the participating institutions and for their surrounding societies or communities by providing a deepened understanding of critical issues in one or more of the eligible fields. Program objectives should relate clearly to institutional and societal needs, including the transition of the Balkan countries to democratic systems based on market economies.

(2) Creativity and Feasibility of Strategy to Achieve Objectives: Strategies to achieve program objectives should be feasible and realistic within the budget and timeframe. These strategies should utilize and reinforce exchange activities creatively to ensure an efficient use of program resources.

(4) Support of Diversity: Proposals should demonstrate substantive support of the Bureau's policy on diversity by explaining how issues of diversity are included in objectives for all institutional partners. Issues resulting from differences of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, geography, socio-economic status, or physical challenge should be addressed during program implementation. In addition, program participants and administrators should reflect the diversity within the societies which they represent (see the section of this document on “Diversity,Freedom, and Democracy Guidelines”). Proposals should also discuss how the various Start Printed Page 9347institutional partners approach diversity issues in their respective communities or societies.

(5) Institution's Capacity and Record/Ability: Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the program or project's goals.Proposals should demonstrate an institutional record of successful exchange programs, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past Bureau grants as determined by Bureau Grant Staff. The Bureau will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants.

(6) Evaluation: Proposals should outline a methodology for determining the degree to which the project meets its objectives, both while it is underway and at its conclusion.The final program evaluation should include an external component and should provide observations about the program's influence within the participating institutions as well as their surrounding communities or societies.

(7) Cost-effectiveness: Administrative and program costs should be reasonable and appropriate with cost-sharing provided by all participating institutions within the context of their respective capacities. Cost-sharing is viewed as a reflection of institutional commitment to the program.

Authority

Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961,Public Law 87-256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of the Act is “to enable the Government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries * * *; to strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating the educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements of the people of the United States and other nations * * * and thus to assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations between the United States and the other countries of the world.” The funding authority for the program above is provided through legislation. The funding authority for the program cited above is provided through the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989.

Notice

The terms and conditions published in this RFGP are binding and may not be modified by any Bureau representative. Explanatory information provided by the Bureau that contradicts published language will not be binding. Issuance of the RFGP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government. The Bureau reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.

Notification

Final awards cannot be made until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed through internal Bureau procedures.

Start Signature

Dated: February 20, 2002.

Patricia S. Harrison,

Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.